One of only two Quarter Pounder locations in Japan.
Interiors are done in minimal black.
McDonald’s Japan briefly sold the Quarter Pounder sandwich nation-wide in the late 1990s, before dropping the item from menus. Beginning last November, they began test marketing Quarter Pounder sets at 40 McDonald’s branches in Kumamoto, a city of 1.5 million people in Kyushu.
On November 5th, a launch campaign began in Tokyo, with two McDonald’s locations in Shibuya and nearby Omotesando being totally converted to “Quarter Pounder” shops. The restaurants offer only two choices on the menu: a Quarter Pounder set for 500 yen, and a Double Quarter Pounder set for 600 yen. The interiors are minimal black, and feature Le Corbusier sofas. Interestingly enough, there is no discernable connection to McDonald’s. No golden arches, no yellow, no Ronald. Japanese consumers are not likely to know exactly what a pound is, or a quarter for that matter, but no clues are offered on the ultra-minimal Quarter Pounder website.
A contest is being run till the end of November, with a grand prize of a sightseeing trip to America being offered to ten couples. To enter the contest, applicants must answer a single question: Which fast food chain launched the Quarter Pounder in Japan?
The minimal Quarter Pounder website.